Summer nuTrek novels pulled-TrekMovie.Com

[snakespeare]

I know how I am, and it sounds like they are similar. For instance, I have this amateurish screenplay I keep fiddling with about a boy who loves opera. My other poet-friends keep suggesting I read this or that similar book and I have to keep telling them that I don't want to be influenced by it. I will cheerfully read things unrelated, but studiously avoided related things until I am no longer worried about contamination. It's just a weird thing about some writers, and I only know about it based on my own amateur attempts.

So perhaps they wanted to make sure there was consistency, but they want to wait until after they write their own script before reading these novels. Then, after a few tweaks, they will be released.

 

[seigezunt]

Maybe they want to work closer with Pocket once details of the sequel's script are finalized...

This would make sense. But why pull all the NuTrek novels, unless there's some major element in the new script that contradicts them all, which I guess is possible.

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Sucks for the fans, but as long as the writers get paid (and that sounds like it was / will be the case), then it's just a business decision and no one really gets hurt. I'm sure we'll see these eventually, just not right now.

I'm more concerned about what will fill the gap. Seeing a Crucible trade paperback finally would be awesome, but doesn't meet the MMPB requirement. Pushing up some of the Typhon Pact books may not be realistic, though, depending on those writer's schedules. I'm very, very curious as to how this will shake out. Poor Costas must have very little hair left...

And re: Lonemagpie's comment: yes, Justin would have banged out 4 novels in that time period. That man is a machine.

 

[DigificWriter]

I actually can understand why they wouldn't want to be putting out so much NuTrek stories this early in the game. Letting the movies take care of the continuity right now is a good idea. This eliminates the possibility of Trek's versions of "Splinter in the Mind's Eye." Good story, but one that is next to impossible to justify within established continuity. It kind of like being back in the 60's, when there weren't a plethora of Trek novels being done.

However, it would have been grand if they thought of this sort of thing before everything work got this far, and just said they would still only have Pre-Abrams Trek based novels for the time being. No major fan hopes dashed. The authors are fine. As stated, they got paid, gained another manuscript's worth of experience, will probably see the books published eventually, and are looking to the next porject. But the fans, I can understand being disappointed.

If you don't see the point of releasing novels that deliberately and directly tie in with the current iteration of the ST franchise, than you don't see the point of licensed fiction in general. Abrams and Co. would still have the right to establish the official canon for the 'nuTrek' universe even if the novels were to be published as scheduled. The explanation Pocket's offering for pulling the novels is a bunch of hogwash for that very reason, and anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of licensed fiction - especially Star Trek licensed fiction - should be able to see that.

 

[Greg Cox]

The authors are fine. As stated, they got paid, gained another manuscript's worth of experience, will probably see the books published eventually, and are looking to the next porject.

Did I mention that SEVEN DEADLY SINS is coming out in March?

 

[seigezunt]

Seeing a Crucible trade paperback finally would be awesome,

Hardcover, hardcover, dammit!

The explanation Pocket's offering for pulling the novels is a bunch of hogwash for that very reason, and anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of licensed fiction - especially Star Trek licensed fiction - should be able to see that.

So what do you think is going on?

 

[DigificWriter]

The explanation Pocket's offering for pulling the novels is a bunch of hogwash for that very reason, and anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of licensed fiction - especially Star Trek licensed fiction - should be able to see that.

So what do you think is going on?

A simple change in direction, which is exactly what Pocket should've said in their press release. In short, I'm miffed by Pocket's explanation for the decision much more than I am the decision itself, because, given the change in editors-in-chief for ST fiction licensing, a change in direction is something that I definitely can see happening.

 

[snakespeare]

^maybe they don't want to be locked into "a change in direction" either.

 

[ronny]

The authors are fine. As stated, they got paid, gained another manuscript's worth of experience, will probably see the books published eventually, and are looking to the next porject.

Did I mention that SEVEN DEADLY SINS is coming out in March?

Unless they fill in one of the 4 gaps by pushing this one back to June. Yeah, that's it.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I'm actually on board with this; sort of. I have been saying for quite sometime, and been bashed for it, that I think they should stop putting out ALL star trek books that take place in the so called GR universe. All new books should only take place in this new JJ universe, and he, JJ, should have the right to approve the story idea; thus making them canon. Oh, and all new JJ era books should be no less than 500 pages long (four books between now and 2012)

I understand past gripes with this kind of idea, but I think thats the way it will eventually go. Maybe one of the big boys (Cox..KRAD...Barry Manilow) can become the 'book' czar, instead of some PR dude, and put their heads together with JJ and decided on four books or so to come out before the next movie that will be canon and not upset the applecart...

Just my 2 cents worth...

Rob

 

[Thrawn]

Wait. You think that they should cancel all the Prime books and go towards all Abramstrek books, and when they do the exact opposite of that, you're "on board with this"? I'm confused.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The explanation Pocket's offering for pulling the novels is a bunch of hogwash for that very reason, and anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of licensed fiction - especially Star Trek licensed fiction - should be able to see that.

So what do you think is going on?

A simple change in direction, which is exactly what Pocket should've said in their press release. In short, I'm miffed by Pocket's explanation for the decision much more than I am the decision itself, because, given the change in editors-in-chief for ST fiction licensing, a change in direction is something that I definitely can see happening.

I can't see something this sudden having come from a mere editorial change of direction - they'd just have said "the four books will be coming out in (whenever) now" - and would hardly have decided that a four month gap is a good direction.

This is bound to be down to a marketing chimp somewhere, at Bad Robot, or CBS, or S&S (in decreasing order of logical likelihood!)

 

[DigificWriter]

^maybe they don't want to be locked into "a change in direction" either.

If by 'they' you're referring to Abrams and Co., you're still not seeing the point; they wouldn't be locked into anything, even with the novels being published.

 

[snakespeare]

I'm actually on board with this; sort of. I have been saying for quite sometime, and been bashed for it, that I think they should stop putting out ALL star trek books that take place in the so called GR universe. All new books should only take place in this new JJ universe, and he, JJ, should have the right to approve the story idea; thus making them canon. Oh, and all new JJ era books should be no less than 500 pages long (four books between now and 2012)

I understand past gripes with this kind of idea, but I think thats the way it will eventually go. Maybe one of the big boys (Cox..KRAD...Barry Manilow) can become the 'book' czar, instead of some PR dude, and put their heads together with JJ and decided on four books or so to come out before the next movie that will be canon and not upset the applecart...

Just my 2 cents worth...

Rob

I am really, really glad you're not in charge! LOL! My inclination is the polar opposite of yours.

I think they should continue Titan, Aventine, Voyager, and Enterprise-E, and agree with the 5-year leap for DS9.

And I think they should leave the "nu" stuff to the movie writers until they complete at least their first big story arc. There are too many loose ends from ST XI to tie up, and the writers/producers have demonstrated that there are millions of dollars still to be squeezed out of Trek after all. Therefore, they have the right to develop their own story arcs.

 

[Jeyl]

Genius. Pure genius. Star Trek's popularity has soared, more people are interested in it, and the best strategy that they can come up with is... less Trek than they had already planned.

This is gona suck.

 

[snakespeare]

^maybe they don't want to be locked into "a change in direction" either.

If by 'they' you're referring to Abrams and Co., you're still not seeing the point; they wouldn't be locked into anything, even with the novels being published.

Whether or not you or I think they are or are not locked into anything is irrelevant (best Tuvok voice). They own the rights to the images that Pocket Books wants on the covers. And they seem to want creative freedom. Therefore, the fact that novels aren't canon means nothing to them. They earned Paramount a lot of money, and that's the bottom line. If they feel it would inhibit their creativity, then there is nothing for it but to get out of their way.

 

[Deano2099]

Surely there are contracts and stuff between Pocket and TPTB or whoever though? Surely they can't just suddenly shit-can the books as they changed their mind. Not without compensating Pocket at least?

 

[snakespeare]

^Viacom owns them both.

 

[Christopher]

Whether or not you or I think they are or are not locked into anything is irrelevant (best Tuvok voice). They own the rights to the images that Pocket Books wants on the covers. And they seem to want creative freedom. Therefore, the fact that novels aren't canon means nothing to them. They earned Paramount a lot of money, and that's the bottom line. If they feel it would inhibit their creativity, then there is nothing for it but to get out of their way.

You're contradicting yourself. Given that the books aren't canonical, why would they feel their creativity was being inhibited in any way?

Let's keep a sense of perspective here. Out of every 100 people who see the next Star Trek movie in the theater, maybe 1 or 2 would read these books. To the overwhelming majority of the audience, the existence of these tie-in novels would be not just irrelevant, but totally unknown. Star Trek is a film and television franchise. Books based on Star Trek are just a very minor side business in comparison, too minor to be in any way restrictive on the creativity of the people who are actually in charge of Star Trek. Expecting the film franchise to be inhibited by what the books are doing is like expecting a charging elephant to be hobbled by a small bird landing on its back. It wouldn't even notice it was there.

So this has nothing to do with their creative process for the next film. ST is theirs to do with as they please. Now, maybe they don't want tie-in novels to conflict with the next movie (thought that's pure speculation), but if so, then their concern would be only about the novels, wanting them to hold off until they could be made consistent with the next movie. There's no way it could have any effect on the movie itself. That's going to follow its own course regardless of what any of its tie-ins do, because it is so very much huger than they are.

 

[mbruno]

Except SCE doesn't come out in MMPB, it comes out in TPB.

Actually SCE started out as MMPBs and then switched to TPBs at some point. The first 7 SCE collections were MMPBs and the one from the 8th one onwards were TPBs.